Sheeba & Vijayan: Great White scientists, especially S.N. Prasad and all the research fellows, especially Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C. & Inskipp, T. 1999. Pocket guide to the of the Somasundaram, Nikil and Rachna of SACON provided support and Indian Subcontinent. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. encouragement. Jacob, T. J., Pramod, P., Gangadharan, K. & Mahesh, M. 1995. First record of the Rosy Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus Linnaeus in Kerala. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 91 (3): 452. References Jiguet, F., Doxa, A. & Robert, A 2008. The origin of out-of-range in Ali, S. 1960. ‘Flamingo City’ revisited: nesting of the Rosy Pelican Pelecanus Europe: wild dispersal or zoo escapes? 150: 606–618. onocrotalus Linnaeus in the Rann of Kutch. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. Malhotra, A. K. 1991. A success story of White or Rosy Pelican (Pelecanus 57 (2): 412–415. onocrotalus). Zoos’ Print 6 (7): 14. Ali, S. & Ripley, S. D. 1978. Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan together Taher, H. 2007. The Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis of Uppalapadu with those of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Diverse to Hawks. (Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India). Indian Birds 3 (1): 13–16. Vol 1. 2nd ed. Delhi: (Sponsored by Bombay Natural History Society.) Taher, H. & Mani, U. 2008. Sighting of the Great White Pelican Pelecanus Oxford University Press. onocrotalus at Kolleru Wildlife Sanctuary Andhra Presdesh, India. Crivelli, A. J. 1984. Status of the Pelecanidae. Biological Conservation 30: Indian Birds 4 (1): 14. 147–156. Tiwari J. K., Alain J. C. & Varu S. N. 2003. Status and distribution of Pelicans Crivelli, A. J., Yossi L., Taniu, M. & Hans, J. 1991. Where do palaearctic in Kutch district of Gujarat. Newsletter for Birdwatchers 43 (2): 22. Great White Pelicans Pelecanus onocrotalus presently overwinter? Rev. Vijayan, V. S., Prasad, S. N., Vijayan. L. & Muralidharan, S. 2004. Inland Ecol. (Terre Vie) 46: 145–171. wetlands of India: conservation priorities. Coimbatore: Sálim Ali Centre Gopalakrishna, B. & Pushpalatha B. 2003. Rare sighting record of Great for Ornithology and Natural History. White Pelican in Udupi district of Karnataka state. Newsletter for Birdwatchers 43 (6): 92.

Breeding of falcinellus at Vedanthangal Waterbird Sanctuary, southern India C. Venkatraman

Venkatraman, C. 2009. Breeding of Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus at Vedanthangal Waterbird Sanctuary, southern India. Indian Birds 5 (1): 18–19. C. Venkatraman, Zoological Survey of India, Marine Biological Station, 130, Santhome High Road, Chennai-600 028.Email: cvramanmbs@ yahoo.com Mss received on 23rd May 2008

lossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus a migratory and most for roosting. There have been no conclusive breeding records of widespread ibis , breeds in scattered sites in the Glossy Ibis from Vedanthangal, only sight records (Kannan 1984; warm regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Shiromoney 1984; Sasikumar et al. 1991; Desai 1996; Praveen & GAtlantic and Caribbean regions of the Americas. Kumar 1996; Venkatraman 1996; Santharam 2000; Narayanan & Vedanthangal Waterbird Sanctuary (12º32’N 79º52’E) is one Sathasivan 2002; Subramanya 2005; Thirumalai & Radhakrishnan of the oldest sanctuaries in southern India attracting birds from 2005). Perusal of postings on the email group, Tamilbirds (http:// last two centuries. It comprises a small village located in the in.groups.yahoo.com/group/Tamilbirds/) reveals that Sasikumar north-western part of the Madhuranthagam taluk in Chingleput (4th December 2008) and Narayanan (18th December 2008) have district of Tamil Nadu. reported an increase in the population of Glossy Ibis in recent I have been monitoring waterbird populations at Vedanthangal years in the southern India, especially Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Bird Sanctuary since 1992. In 2007, I recorded 212 Glossy Ibis here, Sasikumar (ibid.) recorded a roosting population of nearly 8,000 when the lake was full from the north-east monsoon. Subsequently, individuals in Peria Kammai, Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu. Glossy Ibis numbers increased to 347 in January 2008 and to my One could argue that with the increased number of birdwatchers, surprise they started constructing nests. Adult birds were readily sightings of birds have also increased, but overall, the Glossy Ibis identified by their breeding plumage—reddish-brown bodies population boom is due to a genuine increase in its population. For and shiny bottle-green wings, while non-breeders and juveniles the past two years Vedanthangal, like other parts of Tamil Nadu, have duller bodies. Nests were built exclusively on Acacia nilotica experienced unusually good rainfall resulting in a majority of trees in the eastern part of the sanctuary and incubation started the wetlands filling up. Subsequently, birds started moving from at the end of January 2008. Nests were built largely away from Vedanthagal to Karikili lake (10 km from Vedanthangal) to breed. the nests of other breeding species namely Painted Stork Mycteria Earlier only ducks and teals were known to breed there. leucocephala, Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippinus, Open-bill Since two years, the number of bird species breeding at Stork Anastomus oscitans, Eurasian Platalea leucorodia, Karikili has been generally increasing even though Vedanthangal and Oriental White Ibis melanocephalus. In all 52 nests has seen a decline in the numbers of breeding Little Cormorant were found at the mean height of 3.82 m (+1.13 m) above ground Phalacrocorax niger, Grey Heron Ardea cinerea, Oriental White Ibis, level. The complete breeding behaviour could not be observed and Eurasian Spoonbill. The resulting lack of competition for due to inaccessibility of the nests. A few sub-adults were noticed nesting sites at the latter may have encouraged Spot-billed Pelican in May. and Painted Stork to breed in unusually larger numbers than the During 1990–1996, I had recorded 26–60 individuals of past. Finlayson et al. (2006) stated that due to climate change the wintering Glossy Ibis, which used the sanctuary exclusively populations of some species will decline, while others increase

18 Indian Birds Vol. 5 No. 1 (Publ. 10th June 2009) Venkatraman: Breeding of Glossy Ibis in both size and distribution. Probably, this could be the reason Birdwatchers 24 (1–2): 10–11. for the change in the population structure of many of the birds Kingsford, R. T. & Norman, F. I. 2002. Australian waterbirds products of in recent years in Vedanthangal. Leslie (2001) and Kingsford & the continent’s ecology. Emu 102: 47–69. Norman (2002) suggest that successful breeding often requires Leslie, D. 2001. Effect of river management on colonially nesting waterbirds in the Barmah-Millewa forest, south-eastern Australia. Regulated exceptional flooding events that last long enough for completion rivers: Research and Management 17: 2136. of the breeding cycle. Hence, lack of competition and the instance Shiromoney, G. 1984. Occurrence of Glossy Ibis at Vedanthangal. Newsletter of exceptional flooding could be the likely factors for the Glossy for Birdwatchers 24 (5–6): 12–13. Ibis breeding first time in Vedanthangal. Narayanan, T. B. & Sathasivam, K. 2002. Unusually large congregation of Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) at Madurai. Newsletter for Birdwatchers 42 (1): 13. Acknowlegements Praveen, J. & Kumar, M. 1996. Glossy Ibis in Palakkad district. Newsletter I thank Dr Ramakrishna, Director, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, and for Birdwatchers 36 (1): 13. Dr K. Rema Devi, Joint Director and Officer-in-Charge, Marine Biological Sasikumar, C., Jayakumar, C. & Jaffer, M. 1991. Glossy Ibis Plegadis Station, Zoological Survey of India, Chennai for their encouragement. I falcinellus (Linn.) and Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala (Pennant): express my deep sense of gratitude to Tamil Nadu Forest Department for two more additions to the bird list of Kerala. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. their permission. Soc. 88 (1): 110. Santharam, V. 2000. More on Vedanthangal birds. Newsletter for Birdwatchers References 40 (5): 57–59. Indian Birds Desai, R. N. 1996. Rare visits of some ducks, Painted Stork and Glossy Ibis Subramanya, S. 2005. Heronries of Tamil Nadu. 1 (6): to the tanks of Dharwad (Karnataka: India). Newsletter for Birdwatchers 126–140. 36 (4): 78–79. Thirumalai, G. & Radhakrishnan, C. 2005. A sight record of the Glossy Ibis, Plegadis falcinellus Finlayson, C. M., Gitay, H., Belio, M. G., van Dam, R. A. & Taylor, I. 2006. (Linnaeus) [: Aves] from Chennai, Rec. Zool. Sur. India Climate variability and change and other pressures on wetlands South India. 104 (1–2): 179–182. and waterbirds: impacts and adaptation. Pp. 88–97. In: Waterbirds Venkatraman, C. 1996. Studies on the colonial waterbirds and the around the world. (Eds.) Boere, G. C., Galbraith, C. A. & Stroud, D. A. characteristics of the lake of the Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary, Madras, Edinburgh, U.K.: The Stationery Office. Tamil Nadu. Ph.D thesis submitted to University of Madras. 102 pp. Kannan, R 1984. The Glossy Ibis in Vedanthangal heronory. Newsletter for

The Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes in Chennai: a review of sight records V. Santharam

Santharam, V. 2009. The Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes in Chennai: a review of sight records. Indian Birds 5 (1): 19–20. V. Santharam, Institute of Bird Studies & Natural History, Rishi Valley 517 352, Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Email: [email protected] Mss received on 13th January 2009.

he Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes is represented on the Indian six additional sightings recorded by others (Kannan (1985), Subcontinent by two races of which A. l. syama is believed to Kumaran Sathasivam, S.Thyagarajan, C.S. Swaminathan, Geetha be a winter visitor from the north-east that moves along the Jaikumar, M. Nanda Kishore and B. Rajashekar). easternT seaboard to southern India and to Sri Lanka, where it is These tables indicate that the Black Baza is far from being a rare and irregular winter vagrant (Naoroji 2006). Naoroji (2006) a ‘stray’ visitor to the city as was suggested by the Wikipedia also mentions that there are a few sight records around Chennai article on Black Baza (accessed on 23rd November 2008). It also and Point Calimere on the eastern coast, and the accompanying suggests that the birds may not just be passage migrants as felt distribution map indicates that the birds are seen in Chennai, by Naoroji (2006) but are regular winter visitors with sightings north of Chennai (Nellore?), and Point Calimere, besides other in every month between October and March. There have been sites on the eastern coast on passage. However there appears to regular reports of this species at the Guindy National Park since be a paucity of data on the sightings of the bird. In this note I have the early 1970s by groups of birdwatchers (Selvakumar et. al. put together all my sightings along with a few reports that I had 1981). However, on perusal of some earlier literature, I came across recorded in my notebook from Chennai. the records by Jerdon from ‘near Nellore’ (1862; 1: 111) and the I have seen the species 15 times in Chennai since December 1980 Madras Museum specimen procured from the city (date and exact up till February 1997. With the exception of two, all sightings were locality not specified) – (Satyamurti 1970).More recently there in Guindy National Park. The two exceptional sight records were have been sightings from the Sriharikota Island, Nellore district at a mango grove at Manali-Madhavaram in northern Chennai in the months of November (12th and 14th ) and February (6th ) suburbs and at the Theosophical Society Estate. (Manakadan et.al. in prep.). The Black Baza is seen in Chennai between October and March. Elsewhere, I have come across the baza in the Western The earliest of these sightings was on 20th October (1990) and the Ghats: latest on 19th March (1994). Tables 1–3 provide year-wise and • Mundanturai Tiger Reserve (Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu): month-wise summaries of my sightings. I have also incorporated 17th January 1988: 10–15; 17th January 1989: 9 (coincidentally

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